Free sightseeing: Old Elbtunnel

When visiting the banks of the Elbe in Hamburg, there are a few things that are a must for tourists: eating a fish roll, taking a harbour cruise and exploring the Old Elbe Tunnel. You will find the latter directly at the Landungsbrücken. A visit is an interesting journey through time: this 400-metre-long tunnel under the Elbe, originally opened in 1911 as the ‘St. Pauli Elbtunnel’, Two tunnel tubes connect the districts of Sankt Pauli and Steinwerder. Since the end of the 19th century, the Port of Hamburg has grown enormously – with the result that around 1895 between 20,000 and 25,000 dockers were employed there. A permanent, easy crossing of the Elbe for these workers became a necessity. In order to avoid hindering shipping traffic on the river, the decision was made in 1901 to build a tunnel and to use lifts instead of access ramps. In 1911, the tunnel was opened to pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages and motor vehicles. 

The Old Elbe Tunnel is not only a traffic route between the Landungsbrücken and the Steinwerder port area, but also an engineering feat. It is worth visiting, not only because of the beautiful view of the city from the harbour side – the builders also showed a sense of humour when decorating the tunnel tubes. You will find small stoneware reliefs at regular intervals of about 10 metres. They depict the river Elbe above thematically. These include images of fish, crabs, and shells, but also of rats and discarded objects such as bicycles.